


aay'han

by gracedbybattle



Series: aay'han 'verse [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Order 66, Character Death, Developing Relationship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Padawan Kanan Jarrus, Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Post-War, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracedbybattle/pseuds/gracedbybattle
Summary: One person Obi-Wan couldn’t save after the war, and four that he did.or; an Order 66 AU, where Cody and Obi-Wan go looking for survivors after the Purge.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: aay'han 'verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985809
Comments: 128
Kudos: 745





	1. CC-2224, "Cody"

**Author's Note:**

> aay'han _[mando'a]:_ a bittersweet moment of mourning and joy; remembering and celebrating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Something’s wrong with Cody._ Even as he’s hurtling towards the water off the side of the cliff, it’s the one thought in Obi-Wan's mind. _Something’s wrong with Cody._

It didn’t occur to Obi-Wan, crawling up the side of a cliff on Utapau, that something could go wrong. Grievous is dead and the war is ebbing to an ending now. The 212th is below him, and Cody has his back. For the first time in years, he feels gloriously free. 

Soon, Ahsoka will return to Coruscant with Maul in custody. With Grievous and Dooku defeated, the Separatists will surely scramble for surrender. The Senate, and quite possibly the Council, will mediate the terms and the war will finally be over. 

The clones will be free. He and the rest of the Jedi will make sure of it.

He should have known better, than to let his mind wander. But he doesn’t. For one second, the end of the war is at hand. A future stretches out in front of him, close enough to grab. He imagines making room for Cody in his quarters at the Temple, big enough for two to share.

Maybe there will be time for them now, free of regulation and rank, to chase something different. 

And suddenly, everything turns sideways. Literally. 

A shot rickets out from beside them, dislodging Boga from the cliff side. At the same moment, the brilliant lights in his mind, his men’s mind, _Cody’s_ mind, go dark all at once. He reaches for his Commander instinctively, always able to find purchase in Cody’s pulse in the Force. 

But the place is dark. 

For a heart stopping moment, as he grasps for land and begins to fall, he thinks that Cody is dead. 

But that isn’t right either. His Force signature is right below him, where it was before. But instead of the bright, pulsing beacon that he’s used to, it’s dark and cold. 

He hits the water even as the agony of other Force users echo through his brain. The sensation is overwhelming, so much that he blocks it out as much as possible and dives for the shadows, lest someone be looking from above to put a hole through him. 

The reality of the last minute is beginning to set in and he can't comprehend it. 

His men shot him. Shot him down. Tried to kill him. 

The wrongness of the whole affair demands an answer. Cody would’ve never allowed it. Something is wrong with him. Obi-Wan can’t feel him. It’s never happened before. 

The Force is screaming to him, pain and agony rippling in its river of calm and he can’t make sense of it. _What is happening?_

He puts it from his mind, throws up the strongest shield he can conjure and resolves to deal with it when the distraction might not get him killed. Compartmentalize. One thing at a time. 

Calling upon all his silent skill and technique, he waits to sneak back to the platform, carefully concealing himself in the Force. His men are too good to miss him any other way. Cody is barking out orders, voice strangely cold and distant. Angry, even.

They’re looking for him. Cody is too smart, too experienced to confirm a death without a body. He’s thorough. 

Obi-Wan frowns to himself. Something is very, very wrong. 

Patently, he bids his time, waiting until he’s able to lift a stun blaster and catch Cody alone in a corridor. He wastes no time, stunning his Commander to unconscious, and making their escape. 

\--

Using every bit of Force persuasion he has, he cloaks them from the other troopers and makes their escape in one of the unmanned Republic shuttles on the outskirts of the city. Cody would berate all of them for their lack of attentiveness. The 212th is never so sloppy. It furthers Obi-Wan’s suspicion that they are not in their right mind. None of them. 

There is a basic med droid and medcenter on board, thank the Force, because he’s not nearly enough of a medic to be on his own for this. Cody is still unconscious, slumped against the medbed where Obi-Wan laid him. 

Breathing deeply, he centers himself in the Force, letting it’s influence float over him like a river. He lets himself drift in it’s cool waters for a moment before probing for Cody’s familiar signature.

What he finds is shocking. 

Cody’s mind is flayed, charred and smoking. The entire thing reeks of rot, dark and black as night. Obi-Wan pulls back with horror, stunned at the state of it. He’s been in, and around, Cody’s mind so often that it is as familiar as Obi-Wan’s own. 

Something here is medically wrong. It’s the only explanation. 

“B9?” he calls the droid who awakens with a quick _whirl_. “I need an emergency analysis on this patient. Suspected malignant abnormally.”

“Yes, Master Jedi,” the droid mechanically whirls away, switching on equipment with a droid’s programmed indifference. “Approximate location of suspected abnormally?”

Obi-Wan pushes Cody’s damp curls away from his forehead, from the right temple. The rot is strongest there, and the heat radiating off his skin is immense. “Here,” he indicates with one hand. “His head. Possibly the brain.”

He thumbs open both of Cody’s eyes and startles. The left eye is blown completely red. The capillaries have burst. Whatever is happening, it’s happening fast. He’s deteriorating quickly. 

“Noted,” the droid drones. The machine is coming to life behind them. “If you could just wait outside, Master Jedi. This shouldn’t take long.”

Obi-Wan hesitates one more moment. The idea of life without Cody is unthinkable. Only an hour before, he was imagining a life after the war. For both of them. 

He runs a hand against Cody’s dark curls, let’s one tangle around his fingers before pushing away, breathing a prayer to himself. _I am one with the Force. And the Force is with me._ He settles himself outside, draws his robe around him, and tries not to think. 

\--

Obi-Wan holds the chip in his hand and stares. No larger than a data chip and it controlled his men’s minds. It corrupted their brains, turned them against him. It turned Cody against him. 

His stomach turns. He thinks of the agony brewing in the Force, the painful echoes of a thousand Jedi calling to him. It all makes too much sense. He fights not to retch. 

A stirring on the medbed distracts his thoughts. He can’t do anything for the others right now. But Cody is here. His Commander struggles to wakefulness, confused and bleary for only a moment. His eyes widen at the sight of Obi-Wan. 

“General,” he whispers. “Obi-Wan, I-”

“It’s alright, Cody,” Obi-Wan says, reaching out to steady him. “It’s alright now.”

“How can you say that?” Cody asks in disbelief. His brown eyes are horrified. “We shot you, I shot you down, how can you-”

Ah, so he remembers. No insomnia or blocked memories. Obi-Wan doesn’t know if that’s better or worse. 

“It was this,” Obi-Wan extends the chip, making sure Cody sees it. His Commander’s dark eyes are blown wide at the sight of it, a swirl of disbelief, anger, and regret. His emotions clash like thunder in the Force. “It wasn’t you. It was this.”

“A chip,” Cody says in disbelief. 

Cody sets his head in his hands, rage curling around him like a wave. He mutters to himself for a moment, a mixture of _mando’a_ and basic that Obi-Wan can’t make out. He thinks he hears Rex’s name, but he’s too distracted by the fury gathering around Cody.

It unfurls as he yells, slamming a fist against the nearest wall. The power behind it leaves a sizable dent and the equipment in the room shakes. The wave of anger dissipates around them, sliding into grief. 

Obi-Wan reaches forward and sets a hand against his back. He has never feared Cody, and he doesn’t plan to start now. “It wasn’t you,” he repeats softly. He’ll say it as long as Cody needs to hear it. “It wasn’t you.”

The only response he gets is a harsh laugh of disbelief. 

“The men-” Obi-Wan starts. 

“The men are the same as me,” Cody interrupts him. “Programmed to kill all Jedi on sight.” He looks up to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes and his own are wet. “It’s all of us, the entire GAR.”

It’s the confirmation Obi-Wan was trying to avoid. He breathes deeply, in and out, centering himself. He can’t fall apart now. 

“There must be some that survived,” he says and feels Cody’s own sorrow. It’s sharp in the air around them. “The Jedi, and your brothers. We can get them out. If you’ll help me. But first, we have to get out of here. Find help.”

“I would go anywhere you would have me, General,” Cody answers and the way he says it, without hesitation, with so much certainty nearly steals Obi-Wan’s breath back. The world may be burning, but he has Cody back. 

Anything is possible, now. 

“I think we can leave formalities behind, Cody,” he says softly. He tapes Cody’s forehead with his own to emphasize the point. They’ve both been afraid to name this thing between them, but he no longer sees the need for distance. “Call me Obi-Wan.”

Cody swallows thickly. “Obi-Wan.” He hesitates then. It’s a strange look on him, to be unsure of himself. But he continues on. “I don’t-”

“There’s no need for apologies,” Obi-Wan says. 

“ _Nu draar_ ,” Cody says. He swallows thickly. “ _Ni ceta,_ Obi-Wan.”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan breathes and steps closer, pulling Cody’s forehead to meet his own in a Keldabe. For a second they breathe the same air, together and alive. “ _Cin_ _vhetin_ ,” he says, feels Cody’s exhale against his face. “ _Cin vhetin_.”

“I would follow you anywhere,” Cody says softly, his eyes closed and Obi-Wan’s heart aches. He presses closer, just for a moment. 

“As would I,” he says back, just as soft. 

Cody pulls away from him and his eyes are dark, deep with emotion and purpose. “We’re going to need help,” he says, shifting into a course of action like this is another battle plan. It might as well be. It isn’t just their lives on the line. 

Obi-Wan nods. “I think I know someone who can help us with that.” 

He pulls out a secure com, double checks the encryption and comms the one person he knows he can trust. Not a Jedi, or a clone. 

If there’s anyone that has a safe house for the both of them, it’s Bail Organa.


	2. Anakin Skywalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He told Yoda that he wouldn’t, he _can’t_ cut Anakin down. They are as close as brothers, like family. Even this evil thing that his brother has become doesn’t change that.
> 
> But the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. And Commander Cody doesn’t miss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: Major character death**

Mustafar looms in the distance like a dark beacon, all black and red with an eerie glow. The volcanic planet reeks of sulfur, even from a distance. Obi-Wan can practically feel the hate seeping into his bones. He takes a deep breath. A planet isn’t inherently evil, but something about it brims with the Dark. 

The ship lurches as they approach. Cody is staring out the small cut out with him, watching the planet rise to meet them. “Is that it?” he asks quietly. Neither of them have ever seen Mustafar before, but Obi-Wan knows. He can feel it. 

And he can feel Anakin, below. His stomach twists. 

“Yes,” he says and doesn’t elaborate. He’s never been more grateful for Cody’s steady presence at his side. When he left to sneak onto Padme’s vessel, Cody never asked to come along or whether Obi-Wan wanted help. He’d just come, the way he always has. 

The affair on Utapau and at the Temple still has him rattled - few men could go through something without being unsettled or just downright catatonic - but he’s not left Obi-Wan’s side once. And when Yoda tasked him with the unthinkable, Cody resolved to be with him. 

Because he knows what Obi-Wan does. When faced with Skywalker, there’s no way he will run a blade through his back. It won’t matter if Anakin is deformed by evil and filled with hate. It won’t matter if his eyes are red or tinged with gold. Obi-Wan loves him, all the same. 

He’ll never be able to kill him. 

And they both know it. 

\--

_Stupid, kriffing Jedi_ , Cody curses to himself, leaping from platform to platform, perched precariously on the mining equipment, struggling to keep up with Obi-Wan and Skywalker. The two are locked in a ferocious duel. 

Cody stayed behind when it began, helping Threepio get Senator Amidala stable and back onto the ship they’d come in. Then, he’d left to find the two Jedi. 

No, not two Jedi. Skywalker is a Sith now. He’s the enemy. 

They’ve covered an incredible amount of distance in the few minutes Cody was behind. His lungs are burning, a combination of the full-body sprint and ash from the planet. The atmosphere isn’t conducive to the type of stress he’s been under lately. He can see the flash of blue lightsabers ahead of him, strike, parry, strike again. It’s faster than he can ever remember seeing it before. Grievous was all speed and spectacle, Ventress cutting and quick, Maul and Savage pure, brute strength. 

But there is something different in this fight. He’s watched Obi-Wan and Skywalker spar before, with one another and with Ahsoka. He’s even caught a few sessions in the Temple between knights and masters. This is nothing like that. The two blades whirl almost in balance with one another, each cutting the next line clean before the other can strike. They’re so in tune, there’s no opening for someone to find an uppercut. 

It’s a stalemate. 

The realization sinks a heavy stone in his gut.

Skywalker is stronger than Obi-Wan, on pure strength alone. He’s younger, taller, more muscular. Obi-Wan could stand right behind him from the right angle and not even be seen. Obi-Wan is running on little sleep, the aftermath of a ferocious march in the Temple only hours before and the most crippling emotional pain imaginable. 

Obi-Wan is going to falter first. It’s only a matter of time. 

Cody swallows hard. 

He thinks of how much Rex has always adored Skywalker. Thinks about the 501st, Kix, Echo, Jesse, Fives. They would have followed their General into Hell, just as he would his own. He thinks about Commander Tano, Senator Amidala, and Obi-Wan. They all love this man so much. 

But this is not the man they know. 

The man in front of him is a dark void, a black stone against Obi-Wan’s ever bright light. His General shines in the Force, bright as the sun, but Skywalker is a black hole. His soul is tainted by the children he has killed just today, an unforgivable sin. Younglings, struck down in cold blood. Without mercy. 

Cody’s lungs burn. He keeps running. 

The man in front of him is consumed with evil, with power. He will cut Obi-Wan down to keep it. Cody can’t let that happen. He can’t let Skywalker crush the Republic under his heel. He can’t subject a galaxy to his cruel onslaught. This ends, here and now. 

In front of him, Obi-Wan and Skywalker are yelling at one another, furious as a storm. He can only catch the impression of words. Obi-Wan’s are painful, covered with guilt and filled with a sense of angry disbelief. Skywalker’s are pure, self-righteous rage. 

Cody doesn’t stop. 

There’s a droid headed towards their platform, just out of his grasp. He leaps for it and misses by an inch, hanging onto the side to keep from plunging in the lava below. Somehow, he gets to his feet. It wobbles dangerously beneath him. They zip towards Obi-Wan and Skywalker, propelled by a weak machine and Cody’s anxious heart. 

_Almost there, almost there._

And then, it happens. 

Obi-Wan gets a chance to cut into Skywalker’s circle and he hesitates, only a second. Skywalker doesn’t. He slams his forearm against Obi-Wan’s, dislodging his lightsaber and claiming it in his other hand.The force of the hit sends Obi-Wan to his knees, almost sideways. He rights himself right before he plummets right off into the river. Cody heart pounds. _No, no, no._

“This is the end for you,” Skywalker's haughty voice carries across the distance. It sounds nothing like the man Cody has fought beside for the last three years. Distorted and unrecognizable. 

_Twisted by the dark side,_ Master Yoda had said at the Temple. _Gone is the boy you trained, consumed by Darth Vader._

It’s not Anakin Skywalker that stands over Obi-Wan. It’s Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine’s apprentice. A ruthless killer. And he’ll kill Obi-Wan next. 

Cody won’t allow it. 

He balances against the floating parapet and unholsters his blaster. It’s not an easy shot, but Cody is the best. 

He takes aim. 

Obi-Wan stares Anakin down, defiant to the last, even as Vader brings the twin blades to his throat. 

“Surrender,” Vader, not Anakin, demands. “And I might let you live.”

“Like you let the younglings live?” Obi-Wan spats back at him. “Did they beg for their lives before you killed them? The children you slaughtered?”

“It had to be done. They were the enemy.”

“They were innocent!” Obi-Wan yells at him. His hair is sweaty and his bangs hang in his eyes. He’s exhausted. Neither of them have noticed Cody. His platform edges closer. _Just a little more._ He only has only shot. He has to make it count. “Palpatine has twisted your mind, Anakin.”

“Don’t say that name,” Skywalker - Vader - spits. “That’s not who I am anymore. Anakin Skywalker was weak. I killed him.”

And Cody sees the words hit their mark, sees Obi-Wan slump into himself, just enough to know his hope is gone. “So it is,” he mutters, hardly loud enough for Cody to hear over the roar of the river. “The man I knew is gone.” He lifts his head to stare at the man he once called brother. The lightsabers hum at his throat. “Only a monster remains.”

Skywalker sneers at him. “I’ll show you a monster,” and moves to strike. Obi-Wan’s eyes close. 

Cody levels his blaster, plants his feet and fires.

Vader, so preoccupied with his own victory, never sees it coming. The shot is straight through the heart, no room for error. It leaves a smoking hole in his chest. For the moment, Skywalker is frozen. He drops the ‘sabers, they clatter to the platform. Then, he drops to his feet and collapses, eye’s still wide. Cody wonders if they shone back blue, or stayed gold. He doesn’t want to know. 

Obi-Wan grabs for the two lightsabers as they drop and stares at the body of his former student. He looks up and sees Cody, drifting past him. He seems dumbfounded. 

Cody’s platform is careening for the edge, sputtering and giving out. It’s going to collapse into the river and take him with it. Obi-Wan notices. 

“Cody!” he yells. “Jump!”

There’s no way he’ll make the leap to the bank. But Cody doesn’t think. He just jumps. A surge gathers underneath him as his feet leave ground, propelling farther than physically possible on his own. He hits dirt and rolls to his side with the momentum. 

Obi-Wan is still on the platform, the ‘saber’s clipped to his side. Somehow, he managed to Force throw Cody to the shore. But it’s taken the last of his strength. His own platform is starting to sag. Cody rushes to the edge, desperate to get to him. 

It’s not far. He can make the jump. “Obi-Wan,” he calls. “You’ve got to go. Now.”

“I can’t leave him,” Obi-Wan protests and Cody’s heart constricts. He can’t possibly propel himself and Skywalker across the distance. He can’t imagine a worse burial than a fiery one on this hellacious place, but there’s no choice. It’s Obi-Wan or Skywalker. Only one of them is alive. 

The choice is clear. 

“He’s already gone,” Cody yells back. He doesn’t have time to be kind. 

Still, Obi-Wan hesitates. He stares at Skywalker, Anakin’s body, and Cody can only imagine what he’s thinking. He can feel his grief from here. He doesn’t need the Force to do it. 

“Obi-Wan, please.” He’s not above begging. “Please, I can’t do this alone.” He thinks of the others that might be out there, all the _vode_ and younglings that might need them. _We’ll find them, together,_ is what Obi-Wan said. “Don’t make me do this alone.”

Something in his words breaks Obi-Wan loose. He shakes his head and makes his way to his feet, an enormous effort. A deep breath, the tiniest of running starts and he jumps. He’s just short. Cody reaches out over the edge and hauls him in. They both go rolling to the ground together. He clutches Obi-Wan to him, tight. Adrenaline is flooding his veins, crashing through his body like it’s going down the drain. Everything hurts. The grit of the dirt against his face, the heat of the air, the sulfur in his nose. 

Obi-Wan scrambles up, taking Cody with him because he won’t let go. He’s not convinced Obi-Wan won’t jump back after Skywalker. But he couldn’t if we wanted to. The platform shudders and collapses, burying itself in the river and taking the body with it. After a fleeting second, nothing is left. 

“Anakin,” a breath slips from Obi-Wan’s mouth, and he collapses against Cody, hard. Cody clutches him, slides them both back to the ground. He doesn’t regret it, not for a second. It was Obi-Wan or Skywalker. And Skywalker wasn’t Skywalker anymore. 

But Obi-Wan might hate him. 

His former General turns into Cody’s shoulder, clutches his shoulder and begins to weep. Cody’s stomach turns. He doesn’t know what to say. He settles for wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan’s shuddering form, tucks his head underneath his chin and strokes a hand through his hair. 

“Shhh,” he says softly. He doesn’t have the strength for anything else. “It’s alright.” He swallows the instinctive _I’m sorry_ because he can’t be. He isn’t sorry for saving Obi-Wan’s life and putting down a monster. “It’s over now.”

Obi-Wan clings to him for a minute or an hour, Cody can’t tell. Time has no meaning anymore. He just holds him and is held in turn. 

He hates the galaxy, viciously, in that moment. Hates the war, the Republic, the Seps, the Sith, this planet. He hates everything that brought them here, this terrible place. Hates that Obi-Wan should have his own empathy, his kindness and love, turned against him. That he was sent here to kill, knowing full well he couldn't. Yoda sent them here to stop Darth Vader, but Obi-Wan Kenobi came to save Anakin Skywalker. Cody came to make sure Obi-Wan came back. He thanks the Force that he had the strength to pull the trigger. A world without Skywalker is painful, but a world without Obi-Wan is unbearable. 

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan breathes after an eternity. His throat is raw, his hand twists in the fabric at Cody’s shoulder. He turns his tear stained face into Cody’s chest. “I couldn’t...I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t strong enough.”

That isn’t it at all. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the strongest man he knows. “You shouldn’t have had to kill your own brother,” Cody retorts. At that moment, he hates Yoda the most. 

“I couldn’t reach him,” Obi-Wan gasps. “He was...I couldn’t get to him.”

“No one could,” Cody says. “He was already gone.” He swallows, forces the words past his throat. “I’m-”

“Don’t apologize,” Obi-Wan interrupts him. He turns in Cody’s arms and looks up at him. His eyes are bloodshot with tears but there’s no lie in his gaze. “You saved my life.”

“I’d do it again,” Cody says. “I’d do anything to save you.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan lays a hand over Cody’s larger, more calloused palm. He twists their fingers together and squeezes. “I know. You did what had to be done.” Still, his heart bleeds at the loss. Cody knows he thought, maybe, just maybe he could have brought Anakin back from the brink. Saved him, the way he saved Cody. 

They were too late. They always would have been. 

Cody doesn’t respond. He squeezes Obi-Wan’s hand in his own and uses it to tug him to his feet. Obi-Wan allows Cody to pull him up. He doesn’t drop his hand. If anything, he moves closer. He sighs with audible grief and presses a hand to his eyes. They come away wet. “Let’s go. There’s nothing left for us here.” 

They stumble back up the hill, clinging to each other, together. 


	3. Caleb Dume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Mygeeto, Obi-Wan promised Depa Billaba that her padawan would never be alone. If she were to fall, and in war it seemed all too likely, he would take Caleb on himself. 
> 
> The circumstance of death and the state of war doesn’t change that promise. And it’s one Obi-Wan intends to keep.

“Kaller,” Cody mutters, watching the planet rise from the view finder. It’s surface is dotted with trees, swatches of earth scorched from the battlefield like scars against the landscape. Obi-Wan watches over his shoulder, his gut twisted with unusual nerves. They’re not sure what they’ll find below, but he made a promise to Depa Billaba once and he won’t break that now. 

_Depa._

He stings to think of her. One of his older friends, she’d entrusted her padawan Caleb’s future training to him before they’d left for the war after taking on the young boy as her own. He’d accepted, never imagining how they could’ve gotten here. 

He’d known Depa for years now, a natural friendship that had formed due to the familiarity between their own masters and respective seats on the Council. They hadn't met as younglings - not like he, Quinlan, Luminara, Bant and Garen had - but as accomplished adults. After her return and recovery from Haruun Kal, she’d confided in him her intention to take a padawan. 

Young Caleb Dume was a initiate he was familiar with, it was impossible not to be with his tenacity for questions, and he’d formed an instant bond with Depa. But taking their children into a warzone had never sat right with Billaba. In the event that something happened to her, she’d asked that Obi-Wan take Caleb on himself. And he’d agreed. 

He’d been ready for a new trainee for a while, Ahsoka was proof enough of such, and Caleb was a sweet, inquisitive lad. Had Obi-Wan not already been a commissioned high general and spending the majority of his time at the front, he might have thought of taking on Caleb himself. 

But those thoughts were weeks, months before. A whole different lifetime. He can’t dwell on them now.

Cody pilots their shuttle with expertise, carefully setting it down planetside. The little shuttle, a type that Anakin would have called a puddle jumper, is becoming a de facto home for them. They’re both a little protective and sentimental about it. 

Obi-Wan shoulders a blaster to his side and makes sure his lightsaber is concealed in his inner tunic. No need to expose himself unless it’s necessary. It’ll be safer if they can get in and get out with no fanfare. 

He just hopes they have something to find. 

“Ready?” Cody asks, holstering his own blaster. There’s a knife strapped to the inside of his boot and an extra clipped to his thigh, hidden by the long, dark cloak. Obi-Wan is still getting used to the sight of him in something other than armor, but it suits him. He’s a steady, unwavering strength. 

Obi-Wan, in contrast, feels unmoored. It’s only been a day since the universe turned inside out. Yesterday, he faced the twisted monster Anakin had become and Cody put him down when Obi-Wan faltered. 

They lost Padme, after the birth of the twins. The damage was too great to save, after Anakin’s rage. Bail has taken both the newborns, a boy and a girl, back to Breha on Alderaan. Obi-Wan and Cody would’ve gone with them, had they had not struck out for Kaller first. They’ll rendezvous with them after, hopefully with Caleb in tow. 

Cody has been a blessing through it all. If he’s felt unsettled since they left Mustafar, he hasn’t shown it. He’s as steady and solid as he was the whole war, a pillar of strength at Obi-Wan’s side. Obi-Wan fears that he hasn’t fared as well as his Commander. 

He’s having trouble processing it. The Purge, the destruction at the Temple, Anakin’s death, the addition of the twins and Yoda’s subsequent departure. His grandmaster left in search of more survivors, after failing to defeat the new Emperor. 

There’s been so much loss - Anakin, Padme, Yoda - and too little gain. If they can find Caleb, if he can keep one promise to a dead friend, it will go a long way with his soul. 

“Ready,” he responds, trying to fortify his voice with his usual confidence. When he looks up, Cody is holding out a dark wrap to him and motions to the hatch. 

“It’s colder than it looks,” he says. Obi-Wan can’t help but feel touched. His former Commander is always looking out for him in small ways, ready with a tea or cup of soup before Obi-Wan can ask for it. No one has ever really looked after Obi-Wan before. He’s not sure what he did to deserve it, but he appreciates it.

He takes the heavy cloth from Cody’s hand, fingers brushing against one another briefly. “Thank you,” he says earnestly, wrapping it securely around his neck. Cody smiles at him, reaches for the hatch and lets the light in. Obi-Wan takes a moment to reach for the Force, find his center, and follows Cody out into the woods. 

\--

Plateau City is as normal a city as can be imagined, the usual thrum of liveliness in the air. It seems strange to be somewhere so normal when everything else feels so changed. 

Only a few clicks from this bustling spaceport, Depa Billaba was cut down by her own troops. Her own Commander, Grey - who might have adorned her as much as Obi-Wan does Cody - put a blot in her back and tried to kill her padawan. That’s all they know. 

Bail pulled reports from the Empire that said the young padawan survived the initial onslaught, and had been spotted in the nearby city. So, they start there. 

Cody’s new outfit, a combination of black tunic, leather, and plastoid, offers more anonymity than usual, though he still aims to hide his face as much as possible. Obi-Wan is dressed similarly. They stick to the shadows, hoping not to draw attention. 

The Force feels sickly, tainted with the death of so many Jedi, but Obi-Wan calls upon it all the same. He attempts to focus on it’s strength, willing it to lead him toward this young child. He doesn’t know Caleb that well, only taught a few classes to his initiate class, but Depa. He knows Depa. 

He imagines her dark eyes, long, intricate braids. Imagines her quick wit and the accent of her voice. He lets it guide him to the last traces of her life signature, to the boy it still clings to. The signature is muted, _clever Caleb_ , he thinks to himself, but it’s distinct enough for him to sense it. 

He opens his eyes. 

“I know where he is.”

\--

A dumpster in a dark alley is no place for a child. As he follows the trail in the Force, and realizes where they are, Obi-Wan feels a pulse of sorrow from Cody. Mandalorians are fierce protectors, especially of children. They would consider Anakin’s slaughter in the Council chambers the ultimate sin. 

Cody feels the same. Like many of his brothers, he was raised with traditional Mandalorian values on Kamino, considers himself one and speaks the language as his mother tongue. The suffering of any _ad_ is something he needs to rectify, if it’s in his power. 

Obi-Wan hasn’t explicitly asked what Cody thinks of taking Caleb in, but he doesn’t think he’ll protest if it becomes a long term situation. Mandalorian's don't just take stock in birth relatives; adopted children are considered just as valid as their own blood. 

He shakes his head. He’s getting away from himself. They haven't even...well. 

They probably need to discuss it, at some point. 

There’s a scratching noise coming from the dumpster, and it stops as soon as it seems to hear them. All too aware that they’re approaching a traumatized child who’s been on the run for his life and liable to be frightened, Obi-Wan raises one hand. Cody stops on a dime. 

It may be better if Obi-Wan approaches alone. Caleb might remember him. Cody, doesn’t even need the words, he just nods silently. He melts back into the shadows and waits. 

“Caleb?” Obi-Wan chances using the boy’s name. A bounty hunter might do the same, but they don’t have much time to play with. Bail mentioned that there was already a hunt out for the boy, and a heavy Imperial presence in the city. “Caleb, are you there?” 

Nothing, for a moment. Obi-Wan can feel Cody shift behind him. The place is crawling with Imperials. They have to make this fast, one way or another. 

A small, dark head pokes up from behind the dumpster. Bright, aqua blue-green eyes suspiciously blink at him around the barrier and then widen. A slight, skinny boy in tattered tunics peaks out and his eyes widen with recognition. 

“Master Obi-Wan?” Caleb Dume asks in disbelief. 

Obi-Wan’s heart soaks. He’s alive. They’re not too late. 

“Hello Caleb,” he breathes in relief, unable to even stop his smile. He crouches to one knee and extends a hand. “Do you remember me?”

“Master!” Caleb calls and limps into Obi-Wan’s arms with as much enthusiasm that a wounded, weary child can manage. He’s a slight weight in Obi-Wan’s arms, radiating heat that feels like a low fever and trembling with cold. 

Obi-Wan swallows, clutching the boy to his arms and closes his eyes against the emotion. 

_I found him, Depa. I found him._

“Shhh,” he soothes Caleb, clutching him against his chest. The boy is shuttering and babbling nonsense. “Slow down. Take a breath.” Caleb pauses for a moment to gulp air and audibly forces himself to relax. He doesn’t loosen his grip on Obi-Wan’s tunic. 

“What happened Master? What happened?” It seems that trauma has very little effect on Caleb’s famous ability for talk. “They turned on us, the clones. Grey and Styles, they just, they shot her!” His voice goes higher with grief and Obi-Wan shushes him again. 

“Quiet young one, we don’t want anyone to hear,” he hushes. “It wasn’t their fault. They were being controlled.”

“But, but, how?” Caleb cries, no quieter. “How?”

“I’ll explain later,” Obi-Wan says hoping to appease him. He pulls Caleb back to arm’s length to look him over and brushes a hair through his hair. His braid is gone. “Are you alright?”

Caleb scrunches his nose. He looks okay, all things considered. “I think I twisted my ankle, but I’m okay.” He’s unwilling to leave the circle of Obi-Wan’s arms. He folds his forearms over one another. “I’m hungry,” he admits softly. 

“I think we can take care of that,” Obi-Wan smiles, slipping out of his robe and sliding it around the boy’s shoulders. “We have plenty of food on board our shuttle.” He tucks the extra fabric around the waist and ties it so it doesn’t drag. He can’t stand to see the child shiver. 

Now that Caleb seems more settled, he waves at Cody to come closer. At the sight of a clone approaching them, Caleb tenses and his eyes go wide. 

“It’s alright Caleb,” Obi-Wan quickly, silently begging the boy not to shout or run. It’s better to get this out of the way now, while they’re relatively alone. “This is Cody, he’s with me.”

Caleb’s eyes don’t leave Cody. Cody, who has always been good with children and small beings, drops to the ground to seem less intimidating. He gives the boy a small smile.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” Cody says, and Obi-Wan can’t remember his voice ever being so gentle. “I know...others did. I’m sorry that happened to you. But I won’t. I swear it.”

Caleb stares at him for another second, then back at Obi-Wan. “You’re safe with us,” he says, “I promise.”

Caleb bites at his lower lip, raises a hand to drag through his hair. A nervous tick, Obi-Wan thinks. 

“Stretch out with your feelings,” he offers, tucking a floppy length of dark brown hair behind Caleb’s ear. “Trust what the Force tells you.” He lets the boy mull over that for a moment, grateful for Cody’s quiet patience. A few minutes tick by and he pushes back his own anxiety at the sound of troopers in the street. 

“I believe you, Master Obi-Wan,” Caleb decides solemnly, and Obi-Wan aches with the trust in his voice. 

“Thank you, young one,” he says sincerely, taking his hand. Caleb’s hand is so small. 

“Come,” he says and Caleb follows behind him like a shadow, so much like Anakin did, once. Cody moves to their back to flank them. “Let’s get out of here.”

Caleb peaks back at Cody as they walk, but he doesn’t tense or run. He does stick close to Obi-Wan’s side as they press against the side of a cart to let a patrol pass them. Troopers jog past in armor, looking so familiar it aches. Obi-Wan wonders what Cody is thinking. 

Once they’re clear of the city, the questions begin again. The first is understandable. 

“Where are we going, Master Obi-Wan?” 

“Somewhere safe,” Obi-Wan continues to scan the area, never taking anything for granted. Cody is lagging behind them to sweep their trail. 

Caleb is silent for a second or two. “How did you find me?”

His Force signature is so light, genuinely innocent. Now that he’s no longer shielded from him, he feels more like Caleb and less like Depa. The signatures are intertwined, but Depa’s is fading. Obi-Wan can see the differences in them, lines drawn dark against a pale canvas. 

“I knew your master,” he responds, which isn’t exactly an answer but it’s close. “She asked me to take care of you.”

“She did?” Caleb scrambles to keep up with him, distracted by something in the trees to their left and Obi-Wan tugs him along by the hand. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan says. He whistles sharply once to Cody, their unspoken _let’s go._ He wants to get off this planet, get some warm food into Caleb and just sleep. The three of them walk up the ramp together, slamming the hold shut behind them. 

“I’ll take us out,” Cody says, stepping around Obi-Wan with a hand on his shoulder with a pointed look at Caleb. “He looks like he’s about to drop off.”

Caleb does look a little peaked, trailing hands over the side of the ship, staring wistfully at the controls. He swims in Obi-Wan’s robe, too gangly for anything they have on board. Obi-Wan mentally adds _appropriately sized children’s clothing_ to their next supply run. 

“I’ll get him settled,” he tells Cody. The other man nods at him, shrugging out of his over tunic. 

“There’s some leftover stew in the ‘conservator,” Cody calls to him, settling into the pilot seat and starting the pre-flight check. “If he’s hungry.”

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan says, and resolves to make sure Cody eats as well. They’re both low on sleep and energy. He takes Caleb’s smaller hand and tugs him to the back of the ship. “Let’s get you settled, young one.”

\--

After settling Caleb into a clean - if over sized - tunic, and getting a warm meal into him, the boy drops off like a stone. There are four bunks in the back of the shuttle, separate from the two larger cabins towards the front. Caleb claims the bottom right, curled under a patchwork blanket and soundly asleep. 

His Force signature is still tinged with grief and the aftershocks of a traumatic experience, but for all he’s been though, it’s remarkably calm. Obi-Wan smooths a hand over his hair, pulls the blanket over his shoulder and leaves him to rest. 

Cody is still up front, monitoring transmissions. They haven’t heard from Bail yet. He must hear Obi-Wan’s approach because he speaks up before Obi-Wan can reach him. 

“How’s the _ad’ika_?”

The Mandalorian term, an affectionate moniker for a child, sends a furl of warmth through Obi-Wan’s chest. He already knows he’s incredibly fond of Caleb. The beginnings of a Force bond are stirring between them. But he’s not sure what Cody thinks of their new addition, long term. 

“Resting now,” he says, taking a seat beside Cody in the co-pilot seat. It’s become their natural positions. Obi-Wan has no love for flying, and he doesn’t mind handing the controls over to someone he trusts to pilot. “He enjoyed the stew, I think.”

Cody snorts. “I’m still working on getting it right,” he says. It’s a meal he was working on perfecting during the war, once Bail had let it slip during a senate hearing that it was one of Obi-Wan’s favorites. It might not be perfect, but it’s pretty close. Only Cody, a perfectionist, would be unhappy with it. 

“I think it’s exceptional.” Obi-Wan leans forward to bump their shoulders together. He’s an abysmal cook. Beyond making tea and brewing caf, he doesn’t set foot in the kitchen. One of the reasons he and Anakin spent so many meals at Dex’s, before. 

“You would,” Cody doesn’t look at him but there’s a grin tugging at his face. He’s not exactly trying to hide it. The levity of this moment seems impossible, given the past few days. The relief and success of finding Caleb has given them both a rare good moment, safe to tease one another.

Sitting here together, with Caleb asleep and Cody at his side guiding them, well. It’s the best Obi-Wan’s felt since before Utapau. 

“He seems like a bright child,” Cody says before Obi-Wan can break the silence, surprising him by circling back to the padawan. “Very curious.”

“You have no idea,” Obi-Wan settles back into the chair and props his feet up on the dash, trying to get comfortable. “He was famous for questions back at the Temple. I think Depa found it amusing.”

He glances at Cody and sees the smile hasn’t left his face, but it looks a little wistful. “Rex was like that too.” They still don’t know what happened to Captain Rex, the 322nd, or Ahsoka. He hopes Bail can find something, soon. The silence lingers for a moment before Cody clears his throat. 

“Are we taking Caleb back to Alderaan?” His tone is carefully neutral. The _for good_ goes unsaid. 

Obi-Wan decides to do the same. “Perhaps. What do you think we should do?”

Cody purses his lips into a thin line, the way he does when he’s picking over his words, searching for the right ones. “I think he’s a young child that’s been through a terrible trauma.”

“I agree.”

“I think he’s smart, resourceful.” Cody looks at him then. “I think he trusts you.”

Obi-Wan nods. “I think so too.”

“Hmm,” Cody hums. He looks thoughtful, contemplative. “He should stay. With us.”

“Really?” Obi-Wan asks, can’t help but smile and tease him, a little. “Are you so eager to settle down?”

Cody lifts an eyebrow at him. Their conversation is a mix of banter and stark seriousness, to offset both. But he knows Cody wouldn’t joke with him about this. They had this conversation, once about Ahsoka, before Christiophsis. It was different then, different circumstances, and this is certainly more permanent. 

“You raised one child,” Cody deadpans and what does it say about the two of them that they can talk this freely about a wound so fresh? “Two, if we’re counting the little commander. This one can’t be worse.”

“Truly,” Obi-Wan agrees and fights it, but can’t help and raise a hand to swipe at his eyes. _Still fresh,_ he thinks. Cody sets a hand against his shoulder, presses his thumb against Obi-Wan’s collarbone and rubs a comforting circle there. 

He let’s Obi-Wan have a moment to compose himself before he speaks again. 

“I think we would be good for him. And he would be good for us.”

“Us?” Obi-Wan looks up because he needs confirmation here. No unspoken agreements or misunderstandings. They need to be clear. 

Cody’s gaze is steady. “Yes, us.” He leans forward to make his point, stopping just short of pressing their heads together. “Unless you’re planning to leave me behind?”

“Never.”

“Then I don’t intend to leave you. Either of you.” Cody smiles at him, soft and private. “If that’s alright.”

Obi-Wan nods, brushes his forehead against Cody’s. A weight lifts from his chest. “I would like that. Very much.”

“Good,” Cody’s eyes are warm, even a little mischievous. Obi-Wan loves him. He always has. “Because I’d already set my heart on that, actually.” Obi-Wan breath shutters at hearing it, out loud. He’s held himself back for so long, and now, there’s nothing to separate them. 

He leans forward, into it, and Cody is there to meet him halfway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cody: um yeah obi-wan and i are just figuring things out right now. going slow, it's been a traumatic few days 
> 
> caleb: *exists*
> 
> cody: so we're married with a kid now


	4. CC-3636, "Wolffe"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Kamino, when Cody was young, he could always count on his batchmates to protect him, to have his back. To rescue him, if he needed it. Now, it’s his turn to return the favor.

Bail Organa’s hologram flickers across the dash, blue and solemn. 

“I don’t know how accurate it is,” he admits quietly, though Cody is in the back with Caleb and won’t hear. They’ve pitched their voices low with that in mind. They don’t want to give him false hope.

“The code was outdated, but it was a GAR issue.” Bail’s face doesn’t betray any emotion. “The origin is Cato Neimoidia and the authority level suggested it came from a Commander. That’s all we’ve been able to discover at this point.”

The 104th was the last battle on Cato Neimoidia, and General Plo Koon was killed when the Order from Palpatine came down. But the fate of his men remains uncertain. They’re presumed KIA.Of all Cody’s brothers, the only one that they’re heard from is Bly, who escaped Felucia with Aayla and is rendezvousing at Alderaan. Bail’s people are searching for the remains and last known whereabouts of the 332nd. So far, nothing has been found. 

Cody has yet to outwardly voice any suggestions on the subject, but Obi-Wan knows he’s a little more than desperate to see his batchmate. Bly was an anomaly, as far as they knew. He’d resisted the chips control, just long enough to warn Aayla before the rest of the battalion turned on them. Somehow, shed gotten them both away and escaped relatively unharmed. They’ll be with Bail soon, awaiting Obi-Wan and Cody’s return. 

Obi-Wan is anxious to meet up with them and learn exactly how they got away. If it happened once, maybe it happened in other places. There could be other survivors that they just don’t know about. His mind lingers on Ahsoka, his grandpadawan, the last remaining member of his lineage. Without confirmation, it’s too much to hope that she and Rex are alive. Only two days between them and Kaller and their shuttle is currently on course for Alderaan, but Obi-Wan is already plotting a detour in his mind. 

“We’ll investigate it,” Obi-Wan says. 

Bail nods. “Comm me with what you find. And may the Force be with you, Master Kenobi.” The hologram blinks out, leaving nothing but the dark vastness of space behind. 

He settles back in the chair, one hand coming up to rest at his chin and thinks. They’re only a half a click from Cato Neimoidia, they can be there within the hour. If it is Wolffe, and he’s desperate enough to be sending those transmissions, then they need to get to him quickly. He doesn’t like the thought of taking Caleb into any known danger, but Alderaan is too far for them to drop him off and circle back. They’ll have to bring him along.

Mind made up, he starts charting a new course. 

“New coordinates?” Cody nearly startles him coming up from behind. If he wasn’t so attuned to his signature, Obi-Wan might have jumped. He frowns at Obi-Wan, the familiar scar curling around his eye pulls against the skin as he scrubs a hand against his jaw. A few days without shaving and he has a beard coming in, climbing up his jawline and peppering his chin darker. “I thought we were headed to Alderaan.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan says and lets the silence linger, weighing his words. He knows Cody. He knows he misses his brothers fiercely, wants to save them as much as Obi-Wan wants to save the Jedi. And Plo Koon was a dear friend. There’s no choice here but to see what they can find. What they can save. 

“I think we should make a stop, first. Bail has a lead on someone, a clone.” Cody goes stiff in the corner of his eye. “Requesting extraction from Cato Neimoidia.” 

He meets Cody’s gaze straight on. “They think it might be Commander Wolffe.”

\--

“Stay with the shuttle,” Obi-Wan is telling their _ad’ika_ sternly. They’ve been with Caleb almost two days and Cody already knows that he is a beacon for trouble. And questions. Questions that never seem to end. “We’ll be back soon.”

Caleb is a wonder, a sweet and surprisingly funny little boy that Cody is already stupidly fond of. He eats like a gundark, talks like a jaybird, and constantly shadows Obi-Wan like a tooka. His initial fear of Cody has given way to an overwhelming trust in his two rescuers, and his obvious adoration of Obi-Wan. 

Cody knows that Obi-Wan was something of a legend throughout the Temple, especially to the younglings. On the rare instances he’d spent there with the General, the little ones would watch them pass with stars in their eyes, as though they’d seen a myth come to life. The first Sith-killer in a millennium, a High General and Council member all in one. 

He can’t exactly blame them, he’s been staring after Obi-Wan Kenobi for nearly three years now. 

Caleb hasn’t slept well since coming aboard with them, but it’s not for lack of trying. The grief of the loss of Master Billaba sticks to him like a cloud. His adoration of her is obvious, he talks about her at length whenever Obi-Wan asks. He’ll go quiet and be sadly withdrawn afterwards, like he’s forgotten she’s gone and then is reminded of it all over again. In Cody’s opinion, it’s just one of those things about Obi-Wan. He has that presence - warm, friendly, and caring - that makes you want to spill all your secrets to him. He invites you in with his own emotional vulnerability and before you know it, you’re crying in his shoulder. 

It’s good for Caleb not to keep those things bottled up inside. So many brothers did during the war, and it ate them up inside. Cody’s not about to watch it happen to their _ad’ika._

For all his initial fear of clones, he’s taken well to Cody after Obi-Wan’s abbreviated explanation of the chips. It’s clear that Caleb wanted for them to not be monsters so badly, he was willing to take the first logical explanation. 

Since then, he’s cautiously been spending time with Cody in the cockpit, asking questions about the switch board and controls and quietly fascinated by the navigation center. Cody is not above a little persuasion, and he’s taken to keeping his pockets full of the colorful, individually wrapped sweets they keep on board. The look on Caleb’s face the first time he tried one has Cody resolved to keep them stocked on the ship at all times, no matter what Obi-Wan says about sugar and proper nutrition. 

For the moment, Caleb just nods at Obi-Wan’s instruction, big eyes wide and anxious. It’s not an ideal situation, one of them should really stay behind with him, but they have no idea what kind of state Wolffe is in. Or if he’s here at all. 

_Wolffe_. 

The thought of being reunited with his batchmate threatens to close Cody’s throat with emotion. He’s too stalwart, too professional for such a reaction. But the Purge has stripped away his training, his standing; the carefully drawn lines between life and duty erased. If they were made to kill their Generals, controlled like puppets on a string, what does professionalism matter any more? They were never going to win the war they were bred for, fought and died for. 

All that matters right now, in the scorched remains of his life, are the people he loves. Obi-Wan, Bly, Wolffe. Rex, if he’s alive. And little Caleb, who has turned to trusting him with the sacred innocence of a rescued child. Initially wary, Caleb is now as likely to burrow into his side as Obi-Wan’s for comfort or warmth. He enjoys everything from trying the new foods Cody makes, meditating with Obi-Wan, or simply watching the ship travel through hyperspace. Their shuttle hasn’t given them a lot of room for an energetic boy to roam, not yet. He’s still more subdued than Cody thinks is normal, mourning Master Billaba and shell shocked by his ordeal. But he’s going to be okay. Cody’s going to make sure of it. 

“I promise,” Caleb says solemnly to Obi-Wan, clutching a blaster to his side as Cody watches. He doesn’t like seeing the weapon in the child’s hands, even if it’s necessary for the moment. It reminds him too much of Kamino, of his _vode_ who knew how to fire a blaster as soon as they could learn to walk. 

At least Caleb won’t be defenseless, if trouble comes. It’s a small comfort. 

Obi-Wan smiles, ruffles the boy’s hair and follows Cody out of the shuttle. Cody takes a moment to smile at Caleb before he turns and is rewarded with his own smile back, small but genuine. He keys the lock behind them as the ramp closes and hurries after Obi-Wan. They don’t have much time to waste. 

\-- 

The wretched beach of the comm’s origin is a disaster. Littered with abandoned vessels, crashed ships and the remains of their pilots. The smell, rank from the sun and water, turns Cody’s stomach. He usually has an ironclad gut, but the smell of salt-swelled bodies is repugnant. 

The only thing that keeps his hope alive is the knowledge that Wolffe led the ground campaign, and General Koon the air. He doesn’t have to dig his batchmate’s body out from any of the downed fighters. He steps over the twisted remains of another vessel, unable to miss the melted grey and white armor visible from the smashed cockpit. Cody pulls a scarf up to his nose to block the worst of the scent and hide the stinging of his eyes. Obi-Wan trails behind, silently gauging the landscape. 

Cody’s doesn’t touch the Force the way Obi-Wan can. He can’t really imagine the reverberations he’s feeling at the moment, the echo of pain, fear and death that must be clashing through his senses. He tries not to linger on it. Something tentative brushes against his mind and he relaxes instantly. It’s Obi-Wan, who sometimes reaches out to him like an anchor to balance himself. It’s happened a few times during the war, but even more now that the Force is more tumultuous. Cody can’t reach back, or even really understand the sensation, but occasionally he can feel it. It’s comforting. 

The beach is scattered with caves and outcroppings, a labyrinth that lays beneath the surface. There’s no time to search through them all, or even know where to begin. This may be a dead end, anyway. Cody gives Obi-Wan a look, a warning, before he cups his hands and calls out. It doesn’t take long. 

Less than a few clicks have passed before he sees it, a staggering figure emerging from its hiding place, dragging their left leg. The white and grey - and red, red with blood - armor give it anyway as a member of the 104th. But it isn’t until they’re closer than the cybernetic eye is apparent. 

“ _Ori’vod_ ,” Cody calls and rushes to meet him. “Wolffe!”

Wolffe looks half dead, bloody and limping, and his face is stricken. Cody’s stomach rolls at the sight of his unflinching brother’s grief so plain on his face. The hell he must have been through these days, he can’t imagine. The thought of his General dead is unbearable. He might’ve just eaten his own blaster, if he’d been in his right mind. 

“ _Kote,”_ Wolffe calls back to him, just moments before Cody meets him and wraps his arms around Wolffe’s broad shoulders, hauls him against his chest. Wolffe fists two hands in the back of his brother’s tunic and his breath shudders, wet. 

_“Udesii, vod. Udesii.”_ They hold onto one another for a silent moment, the only noise the gentle lapping of waves against the wreckage behind them. 

“They shot the General down,” Wolffe says before Cody can even begin to ask. His grip against Cody’s back is ironclad. “They turned on him, the men, like they were possessed. I tried to stop them, and they turned on me too.”

 _Like Bly,_ Cody thinks to himself. He clutches Wolffe to him closer.

“There was something wrong with them, in their brain,” Wolffe continues and he doesn’t let Cody go. CC-3636 was, no, is - Wolffe’s not dead, he’s _right here_ \- one of the GAR’s most gifted tactical minds, a brilliant strategist with a knack for infiltration. He sees things others might miss. 

“I know,” Cody says, still horrified by how violated they’ve all been. How betrayed. “It was a chip, in our head.”

“A chip? All of us?” Cody just nods and Wolffe lets loose a string of curses that would have rivaled Boil’s blackest mood after Umbara. “ _Haar’chak_ ,” he spits last. “The _kaminii_?”

“ _El_ _ek_ ,” Cody says. Looking his brother over, it’s obvious he was in a fight. Thick bruising and swelling are evidence that his shoulder was brutally dislocated, the left leg is clearly fractured and poorly splinted with the remains of his kama, and dried blood at his hairline speak of an days old head wound. 

“ _Shab_ ,” he whispers at the damage. 

“How’d you get out, _vod’ika_?” Wolffe asks. His hand flexes at Cody's back. “Have you heard from anyone else? Rex?” 

“Obi-Wan removed my chip,” Cody chooses to ignore the second question. He taps at the bacta patch at his hairline. “We’ll get someone to take yours out too.”

“General Kenobi?” Wolffe asks and he pulls back enough to look at Cody. His scar and cybernetic eye stand out starkly in his face. It strikes Cody then, what likely happened. What once was a sign of Wolffe’s greatest defeat, his worst trauma, may have saved his mind. The damage done there must’ve disturbed the chip. It never activated. “He’s alive?”

“He’s with me,” Cody explains and can see the moment that Wolffe catches sight of Obi-Wan behind the two of them. He expects rage, grief, anger, something, like before. Something other than the sheer relief that washes over Wolffe’s face at the sight of the other man. The galaxy would be so cruel, to spare Obi-Wan and Aayla, but not Plo Koon. 

Cody had met General Koon a few times, and knew him well by reputation. He’d been almost universally adorned by his men, a fatherly figure that they all looked up. He’d mentored little Ahsoka Tano, stood by Obi-Wan on the Council, and refused Kamino’s repeated attempts to recondition Wolffe for ‘undesirable behavior.’ He, more than almost any other, hadn’t deserved such a cruel fate. 

“General,” Wolffe says stiffly as Obi-Wan approaches. He tries to push away from Cody and straighten into a salute and Cody grumbles at him, pulling him back to rest against his shoulder, one arm slung over his back.

“Be still, you _di’kut_.”

“At ease Commander. It’s just Obi-Wan now.” The Jedi gives Wolffe a sad smile. “I’m glad to see you’re alive.”

“You as well sir,” Wolffe responds, leaning into Cody more with each passing second. Gods, he’s heavy.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan says without hesitation. “We look out for one another.”

“How’d you find me, sir?” Wolffe asks, still unable to completely give up on formality. It took Cody a few days to drop the habit. “I was beginning to think no one was coming.”

“Ah, Senator Organa of Alderaan intercepted your comm. It took some time to get past the code.”

Wolffe’s face lights up at that, with something that looks like relief. “You found Ninety Nine then? They survived?” he asks. “Tech was the only one that could’ve broken that. I didn’t want anyone else to be able to pick it up.”

Cody frowns. They haven’t heard from the Bad Batch since the Purge, and not for lack of trying. Commandos were the most apt of any clones to survive a disaster, he’s been trying to raise every squad he knows - Delta, Omega, Ninety Nine - for nearly three days. It’s been radio silence. He opens his mouth to say so just as Obi-Wan’s comm _pings_ with a familiar frequency. 

“Hold that thought,” Obi-Wan says, clicking open an open channel. “Yes, Bail? You’ll be happy to know we’ve had a successful trip.”

“About that,” Senator Organa’s recognizable voice echoes over the comm. He sounds faintly amused. “Would you have any idea why five commando’s have shown up at my door, after the same encryption? A big man, calls himself Hunter, keeps asking after your Commander. Is there something you’d like me to tell them?” 

Obi-Wan blinks silently at the comm, baffled. 

Cody can’t help it. He laughs. Full bodied, open mouth laughs. He just manages to keep himself from barreling over and taking Wolffe into the sand with him. The past few days have been a horror, but this is the galaxy giving them something back. Something good.

A rare moment of joy in all the grief.

“Senator,” Obi-Wan is smiling now. A grin has even cracked Wolffe’s solemn face, though he’s still clinging to Cody like he doesn’t intend to let go. Cody’s going to give him hell for it later, when they’re away from this place. “I think we’re going to need a bigger safe house.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wolffe: *looks between cody and obiwan* so vod when's the wedding
> 
> cody: um well see
> 
> obiwan: the thing is we may already have a child?
> 
> wolffe: you WHAT


	5. Cal Kestis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal Kestis, traumatized and lonely after the death of his master, is struggling on his own. Thankfully, help is one the way - even if he doesn't know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on this project! What started as a 2,000 one shot of Cody and Obi-Wan in the Fallen Order universe ballooned into this 10,000+ word monster. Definitely considering this little universe in a few one-shot and follow-up pieces. If you'd like to see more, let me know in the comments!

It’s been fifteen days since his Master died. 

Cal abandoned the escape pod, leaving Master Jaro Tapal’s body behind, but he still can’t stop seeing it in his mind. The small cave network where he’s taken shelter for the past few days is well hidden from anyone that may be passing by. There’s a nearby settlement, and with his meager rations dwindling, he’s going to have to leave here soon.

He’s going to have to find food, adequate shelter, and a way to make a living. There’s nothing left for him here. But the thought of being around anyone else right now makes his skin crawl. He shakes, the wind still seems to find it’s way down into the cavern no matter how deep he goes, and curls around his Master’s robe with the lightsaber in his hands. 

He misses his Master. 

He misses the Jedi, his family, the Temple, and the creche where he grew up. Distantly, he knows that they’re all lost. He had felt it, like Master Tapal had. Once he had a day to work through the emotions, the agony he felt through the Force was clear. 

The wind whistles again and Cal shivers. He has never known cold, or hunger, or fear, not like this. The sight of his Master cut down by the clones, by their _friends_ , is too traumatic to process, so he huddles against the cold. Scraps the last of the rations from the final packet and tries to ignore the gnawing in his stomach. 

There’s no food left and little water. Tomorrow, he’ll have to face the world and leave. 

Cal is just beginning to drift off when a noise startles him awake. It’s voices, carried by the wind. He sits upright and presses against the wall of the cave, heart suddenly rabbit fast. Prays that they’re just passing through. Something presses against his mind, and subconsciously he bats it away before he can process what it means. Cal presses his eyes shut and wills his breathing to quiet. 

Whoever the two beings are - there are two, he can feel them now that he’s focused - they don’t seem threatening. But he can’t take any chances. Jedi are marked for death, and they’ll figure out who he is soon enough. He holds his breath, tracking their movement as best he can from sound alone. 

They approach the entrance to his hiding place and stop. Cal’s breath shutters. 

_Keep moving,_ he silently begs, wishing he had the power of persuasion he’s seen mature Jedi perform before. But Cal is a padawan, just past 12 years of age, and he has no idea how to influence another being's mind. _Please keep walking._

“Hello?” a softly accented voice calls and his heart jumps. They know he’s here. “Hello, is there someone down there?”

The voice sounds familiar, almost like it’s from Coruscant, but it could be the wind. Wind, and hopeful thinking. 

For days, Cal has been alone and pleaded for the days before to have been a nightmare. To wake from this terrible future in the past, where his Master and the Jedi were still alive. Hope and dreams can make you hear and see things that aren’t real. He can’t trust it. 

He presses against the side of the wall and stays silent. The two beings pause at the entrance, and then, they start climbing down.

Cal doesn’t know what to do. There’s only one way out. He doesn’t want to confront them, doesn’t want to use the ‘saber at all, and his heart turns in his chest at the very idea. 

_Maybe they’ll give up_ , he reasons with himself. _Maybe they’ll turn around._

They don’t. 

The steps get closer and closer. The first being, a human male it sounds like, continues to call out for someone. They must know he’s here. The second being, whoever they are, doesn’t make a sound, though Cal can hear him climbing down as well. They’ll be at the bottom in a second, and it’ll only take them seconds to discover Cal. He should have left this place days ago. 

“Is there anyone down here?” the voice asks again, and Cal can’t help but think it sounds familiar. He grips the Master Tapal’s ‘saber tighter, the sides leaving imprints in his palms. His breathing is harsh but quiet, in and out through his teeth. 

The footsteps pause as they hit the bottom, and Cal can tell they’re rounding the corner. Then they’ll see him and that will be it. If he pulls the ‘saber, they’ll know he’s a Jedi. He’ll have to kill them or it’ll be over. If he doesn’t use the ‘saber, and they’re armed, he’s as good as dead. On the chance that they’re not here to kill him, not drawing the ‘saber is his best option. 

But the odds have not been in his favor lately, and he’s too frightened to be anything but defensive. They round the corner just as he ignites the lightsaber. The blue light illuminates the cavern and he catches sight of the first being, the one that’s been calling out, and freezes. 

High General Master Obi-Wan Kenobi stares back at him. His face is openly surprised, but there’s a tinge of joy in it. Cal’s heart jumps, feels something like relief and joy and _safe_ for the first time in days. 

Another Jedi, alive. He lowers the lightsaber. 

“Hello, little one,” Kenobi says, extending a hand. He holds it out in front of him like he’s gentling a wild animal. His eyes are soft, nonthreatening. He walks forward slowly, afraid to startle the small padawan. “It’s alright. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Master Kenobi?” Cal asks, and he hasn’t heard his own voice in days. It’s cracked and shaky. 

“I am,” Kenobi says, inching closer. He smiles at Cal, gentle. Master Kenobi isn’t dressed like a Jedi or a General. He’s wearing a tight fitting dark under tunic and leather coverings, almost like a pirate. Long, auburn bangs are pulled back by a strip of cloth tied around his head. Sturdy brown scuffed boots that look nothing like the crisp uniform of the High Council. He looks like a spacer, or a trader. 

But he still radiates comfort in the Force, safety, protection. He reminds Cal of Master Tapal, distantly. “I promise, nothing is going to happen to you. We’re here to protect you.” 

_We._

Suddenly, Cal remembers that they’re not alone. He was so distracted by seeing another Jedi that he completely forgot that there’s someone else. Kenobi’s companion is still silent and standing in the shadows, Cal can’t tell who or what they are. Master Kenobi turns from Cal to nod at his companion and the second figure steps out of the shadows into the light. Cal’s heart sizes and he raises the ‘saber in pure instinct. 

It’s a man, dressed similar to Kenobi, though he wears a few pieces of tattered plastoid armor that peak out from under his leather bracers. In contrast to General Kenobi, he’s dark skinned with black, closely cropped hair and a twisting scar that curls around his left eye.

But none of that can distract Cal from the fact that he shares a familiar face. 

He’s a clone. 

Cal jumps to his feet, pressing himself against the cave wall and dropping the robe in his scramble to his feet. The clones killed the Jedi, the clones killed his master, and they’re here to kill him too. Kenobi’s eyes go wide and he throws his hands out. 

“It’s alright Cal,” he says quickly, throwing a hand out in front of his companion. Almost as though to protect him. The clone doesn’t move, his stance only stiffens. Master Kenobi is still locked on Cal. “It’s alright, I promise. He won’t hurt you. He’s with me.”

“He’s a clone,” Cal says, hand shaking where he holds the ‘saber in front of him. “They tried to kill us.”

“I know,” Kenobi says and his eyes are sad, now. “I know, Cal. But he won’t. I swear it.”

“How do you know?” Cal asks, trembling. He wants to believe it so badly, he wants to be safe. _Please._ “How do you know?”

Obi-Wan motions to the clone, who pulls back a section of his hair at the right temple. There’s a white scar there, raised and obviously new. “This is Cody,” he says softly, still watching Cal. “He was my Commander. The clones, they all had chips in their heads. It made them turn on us against their will. But Cody’s is gone. He didn’t hurt me. And he won’t hurt you.”

Cody makes a noise, like he wants to disagree with something that Obi-Wan said, but he doesn’t actually say anything. 

“You’re sure?” Cal asks, feeling tears building in the back of his throat. He’s still so afraid. He wants Master Tapal badly. 

“I promise.” Obi-Wan says it with confidence. He extends a hand to Cal, expression serious. “I’m sorry about Master Tapal. He meant a lot to you.”

Cal’s eyes sting. _Don’t cry, don’t cry._

“I know the past few days have been frightening,” Obi-Wan continues. “Believe me, I know. But you’re safe now.” He motions to Cody. “Cody and I have been looking for anyone that survived, to take them someplace safe.”

“Are there more?” Cal blurts because it’s just too much to hope for. To not be the only one alive. 

Obi-Wan smiles at that. “Yes. Not many. But we did find another padawan, like yourself. You may even know him, he’s close to your age. His name is Caleb, Caleb Dume.”

The name is familiar but Cal can barely process it past the fact that others might be alive. It’s a chance worth taking, for that to be true. It gives him enough bravery to lower the ‘saber. Cody is carrying a light torch, and Cal switches the ‘saber off. The cavern remains illuminated with light. 

“Master Tapal sent a distress signal that we were able to trace,” Kenobi explains. Cal can’t really process what he’s saying, still cradling the ‘saber in his hand. “It took a few days to decipher the encryption, or we might have been here sooner.” 

His blue eyes track around the cavern, at Cal’s merger supplies, the empty ration packets and the single robe. He looks sad and looks back at Cal again. “You must be hungry.”

Cal swallows hard, flexes his fingers around the ‘saber wills himself to let it go. 

“I’m sorry it took us so long, little one,” Kenobi says. His face is so kind. Cody doesn’t move at his back, a silent sentry. But even his expression, serious and set in stone, isn’t unkind. Or wary or aggressive. Just watchful. 

“It’s okay, Cal,” Kenobi says again and the Force sings it’s reassurance around him. “You’re safe now.”

And Cal breaks. 

He drops the ‘saber into the robe pooled on the ground and starts to fall to his knees. Master Kenobi, fast as quicksilver, dashes forward to grab him before he can hit the ground. Kenobi wraps his arms around Cal’s skinny shoulders, carefully tucking him into his own body and Cal wraps his arms around him in turn. 

He grasps at the back of his dark tunic and squeezes, feeling the fear, terror and horrible loneliness of the past days bubble to the surface. The tears come and he can’t stop them. They burn like salt in his eyes and cut across his dirty face, leaving white tracks in his skin where they fall. He can hear himself whimper, breath hitching with quiet sobs of relief. 

Kenobi has sat them both on the ground and cradles Cal close to him, pressed against his chest. One hand is carding gently through Cal’s red hair. “It’s alright,” he repeats softly again and again. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. I’ve got you. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Cal can feel the emotions ebbing and flowing in the Force, a tangle of intense feelings. Kenobi is a wall of calm protectiveness, so similar to how his Master had always felt. The clone, Cody, feels alert and intense, a sentry tinged with grief. He doesn’t feel dangerous. 

There is something, something that lingers between the two of them, but Cal doesn’t have the energy to puzzle it out, not now. They feel safe. The Force practically hums with it. That’s all that matters to him now. 

“We have a ship nearby,” Master Kenobi says softly, still stroking his hair. It feels nice, like someone who cares about him. Cal doesn’t want him to stop. He’s still pressed against Master Kenobi’s shoulder, his face turned into his chest, and he thinks he could stay here for a long time. His breathing is calming, lighting out. The panic is receding. Kenobi pauses then, lets a moment pass before he starts again, like he’s choosing his words carefully. “If you’d like to go with us.”

“You’ll take me? Take me with you?” Cal pulls away from him to ask. 

Kenobi smiles another one of those soft smiles at him. Does he give those to everyone? “Yes, Cal.” 

“Obi-Wan,” Cody says and it’s the first time he’s spoken. Kenobi’s attention turns to him quickly. Cody is looking back at the way they came, suddenly tense. 

“Ah, yes,” Kenobi, _Obi-Wan_ , turns back to Cal. “I think we’d best get going before any unpleasant visitors show up. Are you ready, Cal?” He moves to stand, and takes Cal with him, still in his arms. 

Cal looks around at this dark cavern, his lonely existence since his world turned upside down. He looks at Cody, someone who should be dangerous but isn’t, and Obi-Wan, someone who feels like family. 

He’s ready. 

He reaches down to pull Master Tapal’s robe and lightsaber into his arms with the Force, and wraps his legs around Master Obi-Wan’s sides. He calls on all his courage and wills the Force to steer him, to trust it, as his Master said. “I am,” he says, and they head for the surface. 

\--

Their shuttle hums around him, familiar and quiet. Obi-Wan scans the coordinates and hyperspace path. They’ll be at Alderaan in less than a day, and he hasn’t slept in at least two. He needs to get some rest. 

Their occupants of their small shuttle are mostly asleep. Caleb was understandably excited at their newest member, rapid-fire questions that Cody patiently fielded while Obi-Wan coaxed Cal into a new set of clean garments. The only thing they have are Caleb’s clothes and they’re too big for Cal’s slighter frame. They’re going to have to get him something more appropriately sized. 

Little Cal Kestis, still trembling and afraid but so clearly trying to trust them, had finally dropped off an hour ago. He’d clung to Obi-Wan’s side until he’d fallen asleep. At first, Obi-Wan thought he might give him some space, that he was overwhelmed. But the moment he’d tried to leave him in the bunk alone, the boy had clung tight to him, white fingers holding onto his sleeve. 

He’d only let him go once he was fitfully sleeping. 

Cal isn't quite comfortable with Cody, but neither was Caleb, at first. They can’t keep every Force sensitive child they find, but something has drawn Obi-Wan to Cal, the way it had Caleb. It feels right, in the Force, to have him here. 

It might be harder to separate Cody from Cal, actually. Even though the child is rightfully wary of a clone at the moment and keeping his distance, Cody is already making noises about re-purposing the bunk space for two young boys and wondering which Cal prefers, Alderaan stew - Obi-Wan and Caleb’s preferred meal - or bhillen roast - Cody’s favorite. 

At the moment, Obi-Wan doubts Cal has any preferences on one dish over the other. The tiny padawan is exhausted and half starved, dehydrated and still shivering from exposure to the elements. Obi-Wan aches at the sight of him, so young and terrified for his life. He’d been hiding out on Bracca since Jaro Tapal’s death, unwilling to leave the small outcrop of a cave where he’d stayed after crash landing on the planet. He’d been terrified at first sight of Cody, rightfully so after witnessing his master’s death at the hands of their own men, but so obviously in need of someone to care for him. 

Cal had radiated terror in the Force. His fear had called to Obi-Wan like a beacon. It would’ve been only a matter of time before someone, someone less friendly, had found him. They were lucky to get to him first. 

“Both the boys are asleep,” Cody announces his presence as he joins him in the cockpit, offering a steaming cup of caf. He knocks their hands together as he hands Obi-Wan the cup.

He knows Obi-Wan would prefer tea, but it’s all they have at the moment. Obi-Wan accepts it gratefully, giving Cody a small smile as he does. He blows at the cup slowly, letting his thoughts mellow for a moment before he sighs. 

“Something on your mind?” Cody asks. 

“I’m thinking about how someone else might have gotten to Cal, if we’d not been a bit quicker.”

Cody frowns at him over his own cup. “There was nothing more we could have done,” he says and then because he knows Obi-Wan’s insecurities and thoughts as well as his own, “We got there as fast as we could.”

In fact, Jaro Tapal’s encryption had been too good for even Bail’s most trusted associates. It’d nearly been impossible to crack, and cost them valuable time. Echo, Tech and Wolffe had worked through the night to nail down the coordinates. By all accounts, they’d reached Cal right before the Empire did. 

“I know,” Obi-Wan admits, folding into himself. This space in the shuttle feels cold. They don’t tend to spend a lot of time in the cockpit and redistribute as much of the power as possible to the common areas and bunks. “I just wonder how many more are out here. How many we might be too late for.”

Cody makes a noise in the back of his throat. He sets a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, curls his fingers around the jut of his collarbone. His touch is a familiar comfort. “You can’t do that to yourself. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours either,” Obi-Wan counters, catching Cody’s eye at his side even as he brings a hand up to cover Cody’s own on his shoulder. He squeezes the fingers there. “I can feel your guilt too, you know.”

He can feel Cody tense and shift beside him. Most of the _vode_ that they’ve gotten information on are chipped and within the Empire. The commandos are drawing up schemes to work around it, start freeing the ones they can get to, but it’s the start of a long haul with no end in sight. More Jedi are confirmed dead than suspected missing. 

Mustafar is barely behind them. Obi-Wan can still remember the way it felt falling on Utapau, reaching for Cody's mind and finding it black. Had he not known Cody as well as he did, body and soul, he might not have noticed the change. But knowing him, the difference from one moment to the next was stark. He could’ve never missed it. It’s the same reason Aayla was able to save Bly. And, he suspects, how Grey was able to overcome his own programming to keep Caleb from suffering the same fate as Depa. If there are more, beyond the commandos they’ve already found that are with Wolffe, they haven’t made themselves known yet. 

“I should’ve done more,” Cody says finally. He doesn’t move from Obi-Wan’s side, but one hand comes up to scratch at his temple at the scar from his incision. His other hand flexes at his side. “Bly did.”

“You did enough,” Obi-Wan argues. Cody had fought the chip, subconsciously, even if he hadn’t been able to overcome it. He’d burst the capillaries in his left eye trying to subdue it’s control. The white around the eye is still a bleeding red. It hadn’t healed yet. 

None of it had. 

Cody shakes his head, mouth pressed shut. There’s no point in reasoning with him yet. He’d been terrified, at first, to stand beside Obi-Wan after he’d realized what he’d done. Once he’d gotten over that, Cody's hardly left his side. The trauma is too recent. So many Jedi had died, but that’s to say nothing of the clones lost as well. The one who haven’t died in the onslaught, are lost to their own minds. 

They still hadn’t heard from Rex, or Ahsoka. All reports say they went down with the ship and that Maul was the only one to escape. Obi-Wan knows that Cody agonizes over it. 

But, Wolffe is alive. So are Bly, Echo, Hunter, Wrecker, ‘Cross and Tech. Surely there are more. 

And, they have two little ones now. Onboard and asleep, silently needing them to be here, in the moment. There’s no time to second guess themselves, or to worry over things already done. 

Cody has already meshed so well with Caleb, the chatty padawan’s confidence grows with him by the day. He’s more likely to be trailing Cody than Obi-Wan now. Whether that’s because of his fascination with flying - Cody’s their usual pilot - or the sweets Cody has taken to keeping in his pocket is up for debate. 

Stiff, Obi-Wan pushes to his feet, feeling the years in his bones like never before. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Maybe they need a few days on Alderaan, by the lake. Caleb could use the space to expend his energy and Cal might be able to relax, become more comfortable with them. Wolffe was already chomping at the bit to head their next extraction, Bly and Aayla will be more than happy to accompany him. 

He’s looking forward to returning to the planet, one that feels more and more like home each time they return with a survivor. He imagines how Wolffe and the rest of the _vode_ will take to Cal. They all took to Caleb with an enthusiasm that might’ve frightened a more fragile child, but Caleb had basked in the attention. 

It would be good for all of them to be together and take a few days. Perhaps they will. 

He extends a hand to Cody and Cody takes it without hesitation. He can’t help but smile at that, at him, curling his fingers against a familiar, warm palm. Even while the rest of the galaxy rocks and explodes around him, they are a constant. 

“Let’s get some rest,” Cody says, draping an arm over his shoulder, leaning forward to press his mouth closed against the side of Obi-Wan's head, chaste. He knows Obi-Wan is running on fumes and doesn’t like it - Cody never has taken it well when Obi-Wan doesn’t look out for himself, but he hasn’t pushed for rest, at least not until they had Cal safe and sound on board. Now, he’s probably going to coddle him to his heart’s content. Obi-Wan is inclined to let him. 

“Yes,” he agrees, leaning into the contact with a rush of affection and lets the feeling melt the stress from his muscles. “We’re going to need it, I think.”

Their bunk is warm, warmer than the cockpit. Mentally, Obi-Wan checks that Caleb and Cal are still asleep while Cody tugs him towards their bed. Both the boys are, though they seem restless, and he assumes they’ll be awake before they land. Caleb has a habit of reaching for him in his sleep through the Force when he has a night terror. He wonders if Cal will as well.

They have a lot to work through, all of them. Only time and patience will see their wounds healed. 

For now, he lets Cody throw the blanket over the both of them and curls against his chest. He considers slipping into a light mediation, just to be alert if someone needs him. The boys are young, after all. Perhaps, someone needs to be awake. 

Cody snorts against his shoulder, no doubt guessing his intention and tugs him closer, deeper into his arms. 

“Obi-Wan?”

“Hmm?” Obi-Wan hums, feigning innocence. It’s hard not to fall asleep like this, warm, comfortable, safe. He can feel himself drifting. 

“Sleep,” Cody huffs at him, drowsy and sounding affectionately amused. He runs a broad hand down Obi-Wan's back, lets it rest across his side. “The boys and I will still be here, when you wake.” 

The quiet of their ship washes over his mind, the Force content and still for now. Obi-Wan let’s his eyes slip shut and listens to the steady sound of Cody’s breathing, in and out at his back, until he drifts off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cody: *delighted* now we have TWO kids 
> 
> wolffe: i think you mean i have two nephews

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is affectionately known as the codywan fallen order au that got out of control
> 
> boy, these things always seem to get away from me.


End file.
